Divisional Commissioner of Saharanpur has been handed over task to make Saharanpur free from both noise and air pollution, besides taking action against the officials who were responsible for polluting the district.
Giving above direction to the divisional commissioner of Saharanpur here on Wednesday afternoon, Information Commissioner, Hafiz Usman, claimed that Saharanpur, famous for it’s furniture and wood artisans, had turned out to be a hell for the local residents due to coming of many manufacturing units within the residential areas and even on the footpaths near parks and other public places. He said that the local residents launched agitation several times claiming that the saw dust which came out from the saw mills, buffing machines and cutting of wooden logs by the saw and the noise made by the machines used to cut the wood, had added to their woes in form of air and noise pollution. He said that due to power shortage, many of such units run during the night hours which created further trouble for the residents who could not even had a sound sleep.
Usman further said that few months back, One Rafat Jahen, a local woman from Saharanpur, filed a complaint in his office disclosing that she sought some query from the offices of Saharanpur Development Authority, Nagar Nigam and Pollution Control Board office, about how much illegal units were running in the district, how much pollution they were contributing in the district and lastly what action has been taken in this regard. She informed me that despite of several reminders, none of the authorities concerned had taken notice of it.
Usman claimed that taking the matter seriously, he summoned officers from the all the three departments, but except for Nagar Nigam and Pollution Control Board, the executive engineer of Saharanpur Development Authority, who is Right to Information (RTI) Act officer, did not turned up even before him. IC also disclosed that he was further shocked with the report of Pollution Control Board which pointed that both air and noise pollution is on the rise to alarming level in Saharanpur.
Usman said that in wake of the above reports, he ordered Divisional Commissioner of Saharanpur to probe the said matter within a months time. He directed the officer that besides taking against the officers responsible for it, steps should be also taken to make Saharanpur pollution free. He also claimed to have put a cash fine of Rs 25,000 on the Executive Engineer of Saharanpur Development Authority for not turning up and filing a reply in the matter. Usman said that even if now the officer would over-look his order than he would make further legal proceedings against him.